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Analyzing Floor Plans: Traffic Patterns
For example, as you enter the home from either the
front door or the side entrance, how can you walk to
the kitchen? Do you have to "criss-cross"
through the family room? What if you want to move from
the living area to your master bedroom? The various
rooms need to be arranged so that the flow of traffic
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throughout the
house is logical. Ideally, you should be able to
move from one area to another without crossing through
any room. The more recent designs will show an ever-increasing
awareness of proper traffic patterns. In particular,
you will find that it's not necessary to walk "across"
the family room to reach the other side of the home. |
Instead, designated areas, often
called Galleries, are created using tile or wood surfaced
flooring.
Eliminating this "criss-cross" traffic often
means that the family room does not have to be quite
as large as it once was when you had to arrange furniture
and still leave room to walk through the area. Over
the last ten years or so, residential designers have
made tremendous progress in offering "open"
floor plans. By eliminating long hallways, unnecessary
walls, and expanding ceiling heights, we have seen much
more exciting living spaces.
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However, this "openness" has often
been carried to the extreme. For instance, there
is still a need for a hallway that offers privacy
for bedrooms or bathrooms. In particular, be very
careful with plans that save hallway square footage
by opening the bedroom directly off the family
room.
Even a very small hallway can create a sense
of privacy for a bedroom.
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Remember, if you're having a difficult time visualizing
just what a particular plan will actually look like
when it's finished, you're definitely not alone! Sometimes
it helps to concentrate on individual areas of a plan.
For example, look at the plan above. Imagine how your
furniture might be arranged in the Living Room - where
is your sofa and television? Now, what if the door to
Bedroom #3 is left open? Obviously, there is a serious
lack of privacy here.
While the elimination of hallways can certainly reduce
overall square footage, it can also compromise a sense
of privacy. Consider also that a plan with logical traffic
patterns can actually allow some rooms to be smaller,
thus achieving a reduction in square footage without
any compromises. Finally, remember that each of us has
our own ideas of just what "good design" really
is. Nevertheless, a little extra time spent analyzing
a floor plan can prevent some unpleasant "surprises"
when your new home is completed.
- Larry W. Garnett, FAIBD
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